The Official Nintendo Magazine gave it a high score of 93 percent. They deemed it “the best Mario Kart game yet with an online platform that [will] keep you racing for years."

"It is the quintessential Nintendo party game, and a recommended purchase if you happen to have a friend or two with a 3DS, which should be a bit more likely now that Black Friday is over,” said GamePro's Kat Bailey.

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu awarded the game a 37 out of 40.

"Mario Kart 7" was codeveloped by Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios. The game features plenty of recognizable characters and stages from the "Mario" series.

"The game's made so you're always able to stage a comeback, making it approachable and enjoyable for anyone,” said one reviewer, regarding the game.

Another reviewer spoke on the game's online features: "The Community feature makes netplay a lot more accessible than before, and finding opponents via Street Pass is also impressive. It's really exciting to think how the community's going to unfold."

Gaming website IGN posted its thoughts on Nintendo's new game.

"Mario Kart 7 marks yet another return to Nintendo’s kart-racing franchise. Though the character roster should have been larger, and a cheap blue shell can still screw up an otherwise perfect race, MK7 still offers enough innovation to keep this old formula feeling fresh. With memorable new tracks, well implemented gyro controls, the triumphant return of coins and a handful of new modes, Mario Kart 7 is full of win,” said IGN’s Associate Editor Audrey Drake.